In the Air
by SerratedRose
Summary: Part of an AU I've had in my head for a while, takes place some time in the aftermath of the main story. The only reason he was there was because of Nina, if he didn't take care of it, she would, and the outcome wouldn't be pretty...


In the Air

Pinstripe took a deep breath as he pulled to the side of the road in front of Crash's home. He cut the engine and got out, pocketing his keys before shutting the door and moving along to the walkway. He briefly wondered how the fuck he let himself get talked into doing this, ever since Tawna ran off with the potoroo there'd been bad blood between the two of them. From what Nina told him, this schism between them made things difficult for Coco at times, who had been watching over her brother for a few weeks now. Apparently, his mood was on a sort of hair trigger, a few days he'd be depressed, a few days he'd be angry, and a few days he'd be his old self. At first Pinstripe didn't see it as his problem and left it to them to fix it until Coco started coming back to Nina scratched up and bruised. Not fond of seeing a girl get hurt, especially by their own family, Pinstripe decided, with persuasion from Nina, to get involved. He couldn't ignore the girl, especially with all the shit they've been through, the two of them were tightly knit, more so than he and Tawna, he'd joked.

The all found themselves seeing each other as family, havin' each other's back and other things of that nature. This was just another trial of that relationship, and this interaction could potentially change that for better or worse depending on how it went. He reached the doorstep and knocked twice, half expecting to be attacked, half expecting to be ignored. Either way, he wasn't leaving until this business was settled. He found himself wishing he'd brought his cigarettes while waiting, this was probably going to be hell on his anxiety. When the door opened, he was surprised to find a girl there, a damn fine one at that.

She had the door opened enough to fit her head in the opening, and he couldn't see much beyond that. She looked familiar but that could be brought up later, he had something more important to take care of. "I'm lookin' for Crash." He stated upon snapping out of his stupor. She looked over her shoulder, to another section of the house if he had to guess and said: "Crash! Some man in a suit's here to see ya!" She soon disappeared from the door, and Pinstripe caught a glimpse of her tail as she disappeared. 'How long 'as she been 'ere?' He thought, arching a brow.

Soon enough, Crash came to the door, and the look on his face went from wonder to blank in a flash. Pinstripe wondered if he'd pick a fight before he looked him in the eye. "What're you doing here?" He asked, his voice containing a mixture of surprise and irritation. Pinstripe chose to keep it blunt, better It was to the point and not dancing around the subject. "We need to talk kid, we can do it out here or inside." He said. He'd rather keep this between them than drag that girl into it, that'd come later.

Crash looked to his right, toward where Pinstripe assumed the girl was. "Pasadena, I'm gonna step out for a bit." He told her, voice holding some emotion. There was a shuffle and the shutting of a door, presumably the fridge, and then the girl's voice. "Alright, if you don't come back Ah'm goin' after ya." She said, projecting that accent of hers. Pinstripe walked off, standing in the yard while Crash shut the door and caught up.

"I know why you're here." Pinstripe faced him when he said that, unsurprised. There wouldn't really be another reason for him showing up here, but it wasn't just about Tawna, it was about him too. "You and I are square." Pinstripe guffawed, damn sure he hadn't heard the marsupial correctly. "You serious?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow for the second time this evening. Crash nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "It wasn't until I started talking to Pasadena that I realized I was being an idiot, and I didn't really start talking to her until after I hurt Coco."

The potoroo felt like a damn fool, something like this could've been settled over a phone call, but Nina would've had it in for him if he tried cutting corners. Still, the doll getting hurt because of some shit he did made him feel guilt and anger. "About that, Nina had something to give you." The surprise on Crash's face would've made him laugh if the knowledge that Coco got hurt didn't anger him. Pinstripe stood over the marsupial, who rubbed his sore jaw. "If Nina did it, she'd have probably killed you by accident."

"Ugh… Yeah, I deserved that." He pulled Crash to his feet and slid his hands into his pockets. If that was over and done with, he could head back. "So that girl in your house… She yours?" He asked, may as well get through that now. Crash nodded, looking toward his home. "We met up at the grocery store, I honestly didn't think I'd see her again, with her focus being on her racing career. I've been thinking about going with her, not much to do around here. Crunch is seeing the world, Coco's in University, Aku Aku's gone, and Cortex is in jail." He muttered. Pinstripe shrugged, whatever he chose to do was his business. "I'm headin' off." He said, heading for his car.

"Hey, Pinstripe," The potoroo looked over his shoulder, halting his pace. "Yea?" His eyes widened when he saw Crash's expression turn serious, the only time he'd seen him like that was when Cortex was still around, "You hurt Tawna, count on me being there." He stated. Pinstripe snorted and rolled his eyes, getting into his roadster. "Tch, don't bet on it." He started the car and sped off.


End file.
